85ranger2.8
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2016
- Messages
- 40
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Louisville
- Vehicle Year
- 1985
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 2.8l V6 Cologne
- Transmission
- Manual
- My credo
- Get dirty & enjoy it while you're here!!
I brought the old farm truck home to try and get ready for my newly licensed 16 year old son to use. It has been there for the last 20 years but sat for the last 5. My uncle used it to haul wood up from a holler all those years and while it was never fast, I swear it would have climbed a telephone pole if could've hung on. My uncle had a new fuel pump installed just before I picked it up. I'd love to have gotten my son a newer truck like most of the spoiled kid's at his school have but, I just don't have the ability to do that financially. He loves the old Ranger and learned to drive in it 9 years ago so there's some sentimental value here as well. He's a good kid that never complains & had a rough year being in a bad wreck that took the life of his friend so I really want to do what I can to get this running well again on a budget. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have some knowledge and have learned a lot on this site, I am willing to do the work I can but I'm not gear head either. It has 98,000 miles on it.
The trouble is, whenever we go to take off whether warmed up or cold, the ranger jumps, lurches and kicks like an old mule and I have to rev it way too high just to get it going. It jumps a little in second gear and then is fine in 3rd thru 5th. It's a manual by the way. But anytime I roll up to a stop sign or light it dies unless I keep on the gas revving up way too high. The odd thing is that When I start it up cold or warm in the garage, it idles beautifully and never chokes up even after 15 minutes of idling. I understand the duraspark conversion may be an issue and plan to do this but will probable have to try and salvage the carb for now because of the expense. My initial thoughts were vacuum lines so I replaced all of the lines since the plastic ones had a number of cracks. It ran a little better for a few days but, as the day went on it got worse, making me think the TFI crap was the possibly the issue getting hot. I also thought maybe the Cat was clogged up so I just took it out but didn't change any of the other smog stuff yet. Same deal, a little better for 20 miles or so, and ran very smooth on highway etc. then worse to the point that the last time I had it out, I stopped at the DMV for new tags to replace the temp tag and it would not run for anything. The next day it still didn't want to even idle. The following day it started and I barely got it the 3 miles home and it has stayed there. I wonder if the duraspark will take care of this issue but, my gut says it is more than that. I fear I may be looking at a rebuild but I'm totally guessing. Gonna try and rebuild the carb on my own but I've never done that before. I did find the carb rebuild guide in the tech section so I'm gonna try. We don't have emissions testing here so I'm hoping for some improvements after I get rid of the smog stuff.
The motor feels like it has good power but all choked up. There was some white smoke the last time I got it started, but the oil looks good, not milky and the coolant looks good and I can see it flowing after doing a flush & new thermostat. No leaks, just a lot of oil build up from the valve covers. I plan to do a valve job but hope not to be looking at a rebuild unnecessarily.
I would be grateful for any input and advice. If I do have to rebuild, any thought about upgrades for a little more top end? I can't get above 60-65 mph unless going downhill (literally), and it loses a lot of speed going uphill on the Interstate.
Thanks for any help!!!
The trouble is, whenever we go to take off whether warmed up or cold, the ranger jumps, lurches and kicks like an old mule and I have to rev it way too high just to get it going. It jumps a little in second gear and then is fine in 3rd thru 5th. It's a manual by the way. But anytime I roll up to a stop sign or light it dies unless I keep on the gas revving up way too high. The odd thing is that When I start it up cold or warm in the garage, it idles beautifully and never chokes up even after 15 minutes of idling. I understand the duraspark conversion may be an issue and plan to do this but will probable have to try and salvage the carb for now because of the expense. My initial thoughts were vacuum lines so I replaced all of the lines since the plastic ones had a number of cracks. It ran a little better for a few days but, as the day went on it got worse, making me think the TFI crap was the possibly the issue getting hot. I also thought maybe the Cat was clogged up so I just took it out but didn't change any of the other smog stuff yet. Same deal, a little better for 20 miles or so, and ran very smooth on highway etc. then worse to the point that the last time I had it out, I stopped at the DMV for new tags to replace the temp tag and it would not run for anything. The next day it still didn't want to even idle. The following day it started and I barely got it the 3 miles home and it has stayed there. I wonder if the duraspark will take care of this issue but, my gut says it is more than that. I fear I may be looking at a rebuild but I'm totally guessing. Gonna try and rebuild the carb on my own but I've never done that before. I did find the carb rebuild guide in the tech section so I'm gonna try. We don't have emissions testing here so I'm hoping for some improvements after I get rid of the smog stuff.
The motor feels like it has good power but all choked up. There was some white smoke the last time I got it started, but the oil looks good, not milky and the coolant looks good and I can see it flowing after doing a flush & new thermostat. No leaks, just a lot of oil build up from the valve covers. I plan to do a valve job but hope not to be looking at a rebuild unnecessarily.
I would be grateful for any input and advice. If I do have to rebuild, any thought about upgrades for a little more top end? I can't get above 60-65 mph unless going downhill (literally), and it loses a lot of speed going uphill on the Interstate.
Thanks for any help!!!